Myclotect is a local systemic fungicide effective on a broad range of common fungal pathogens that may cause unsightly leaf damage, thinning canopies, and a generally weakened and stressed appearance. Learn More

]]>It’s Alive!!https://www.thetreegeek.com/news/its-alive/
https://www.thetreegeek.com/news/its-alive/#commentsMon, 08 Jan 2018 14:12:01 +0000http://www.thetreegeek.com/?p=16953More...]]>During these frigid winter months it’s easy to forget that our wonderful woody ornamentals are actually living things. In most areas in the United States, trees will shed their leaves and become dormant for the winter. All activity ceases as they tower above us in an almost ominous fashion. What was once a beautiful park with lush green foliage and fragrant blooms now sets the scene for an upcoming horror film. Although they appear to be dead, they are in fact waiting for the first sign of warmth to spring back into action. Many of us see trees only as structures that grow without any aid, but this is not always the case in an urban setting. Trees, like any other living thing, have basic requirements for survival that are not always readily available in a landscape setting.

Trees need food, water, and a place to live in order to thrive. Compared to most animals that consume food, trees differ in that they create their own food by utilizing light through photosynthesis. Using the energy from the sun, as well as water and carbon dioxide from the air, trees create carbohydrates (sugars), which are either consumed for growth or stored for later use. In comparison with other living things, water is a major component for survival. All trees need water, some more or less than others. Newly planted trees need to be watered regularly to keep the roots from drying out. Mature trees need water as well; however, they can handle fluctuations in availability more readily than younger trees due to their more established root systems. In times of drought it is beneficial to water your trees to reduce stress. The third factor for living things is usually shelter, but trees don’t have the luxury to seek out shelter during inclement weather. In order to cope with adverse conditions, the above ground part of the tree has adapted to life in the elements in a variety of ways such as woody bark and shedding leaves before winter. Root systems do not fare as well out in the open, though. They need to be protected by the soil like the vascular tissue is protected by the bark. If left out of soil, roots can fall subject to desiccation (drying out), and are easily wounded. So in a way, the soil acts as the shelter part for this model.

Following the model of all living things, trees can also fall subject to pests and diseases. These can come from opportunistic pests that invade stressed trees, or invasive ones that exploit trees that do not have any natural defenses against it. There are multiple treatments for numerous ailments of trees, which can make the whole thing seem pretty daunting. In reality, a good majority of insects and diseases can be handled by simple treatments, or good tree husbandry. That’s where we come in. The Tree Geek is a tool for you to help identify what’s going on, and the best way to go about treating for it. There are some procedures that can be a bit complex and we recommend consulting with your local arborist to tackle those projects, but we’ll be here to help you along the way so that you know your trees are well cared for.

These are simple explanations for complex topics – we will go into more detail in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for the latest and greatest and in the meantime go checkout our website and take a look around, or head over to our social media pages to learn even more about trees. We always appreciate your feedback, so feel free to shoot us an email and let us know how we’re doing. Thanks, and have a Tree-mendous New Year!

]]>https://www.thetreegeek.com/news/its-alive/feed/1What is a Growing Degree Day?https://www.thetreegeek.com/news/all-about-trees/what-is-a-growing-degree-day/
https://www.thetreegeek.com/news/all-about-trees/what-is-a-growing-degree-day/#commentsThu, 15 May 2014 19:50:03 +0000http://www.thetreegeek.com/?p=16448More...]]>Many of our products need to be applied at a certain time in the life cycle of an insect or fungal pathogen in order to achieve maximum efficiency. Fortunately for us we have a reliable way to predict the emergence of these problems: the Growing Degree Day (GDD)! Many species of insects are known for arriving during a specific time of the summer, but years of research by dedicated scientists have shown that the emergence of various stages of insects can reliably be timed to a certain number of degree days. Tree development can also be timed in this way. GDDs are the way entomologists, botanists, and arborists (like us!) gauge our timing of treatments, and can be reliably calculated using basic weather data available from whatever your favorite weather information source may happen to be!

Growing degree days are actually am measure of the accumulation of heat in a given area, and the number of GDDs accumulated per day are calculated using a specific formula: GDD= (High Temperature+Low Temperature/2)-Base Temperature. Most people use 50 degrees F for a Base Temperature. You add up the GDD’s per day for a given season, and you begin to see patterns emerge over time as to when things start happening based on the GDDs.

For Example:

Hypothetical day 1 has an overnight low of 42 degrees F and a Daytime High of 70 degrees F.
42+70= 112.
112/2= 56.
56-50= 6 Growing Degree Days.
Hypothetical day 2 has an overnight low of 44 degrees F and a daytime high of 73 degrees F.
44+73=117.
117/2=58.5.
58.5-50= 8.5 Growing Degree Days.
Those two hypothetical days have a total of 14.5 Growing Degree Days accumulated.

If the spring has been long and cold with a gradual warming, you’d expect to see lower GDD- which would lead to later development of plant structures, such as flowers and leaves, and later emergence of insect pests and fungi. Earlier, warmer springs would lead to earlier emergence- but it’s still tied to the accumulated Growing Degree Days.

]]>https://www.thetreegeek.com/news/all-about-trees/what-is-a-growing-degree-day/feed/2Watch EAB Spread Through the Twin Citieshttps://www.thetreegeek.com/news/twincitieseab/
https://www.thetreegeek.com/news/twincitieseab/#respondMon, 12 May 2014 17:33:02 +0000http://www.thetreegeek.com/?p=16439More...]]>Emerald Ash Borer populations grow exponentially as they infest new areas. We’ve seen it happen in Michigan, Ohio, and Illinois. It moves out from the epicenter in waves, generally through natural movements, but occasionally it’s helped along by people who move infected wood outside of the range the little bugs can fly (DON’T MOVE FIREWOOD! Buy it where you’re going burn it!) This map from the Minneapolis Star Tribune below is a very interesting look at the current state of Emerald Ash Borer confirmed locations in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

And remember, The Tree Geeks are here to help you with your Emerald Ash Borer concerns and questions. We have a ton more information over on our EAB page, or you can give us a call at 888-637-6694, or email us at info@thetreegeek.com.

]]>https://www.thetreegeek.com/news/twincitieseab/feed/0Borershttps://www.thetreegeek.com/news/featured/borers/
https://www.thetreegeek.com/news/featured/borers/#commentsWed, 07 May 2014 20:29:52 +0000http://www.thetreegeek.com/?p=16431More...]]>Borers. It’s a common term you hear when discussing tree issues. It’s also incredibly broad. The term borer describes the method in which the tree is impacted by the insect’s larval stage rather than the adult- and the groups of insects being described by this one term are incredibly diverse! The two most economically impactful groups of borers are Flathead Borers (Buprestidae)-

Bronze Birch Borer, A Flatheaded Borer

Emerald Ash Borer, Bronze Birch Borer (Right), and Two Lined Chestnut Borer, just to name a few- and Roundheaded Borers (Cerambydicae)- Asian Long Horned Beetle

Ash Lilac Borer, A Clearwing Borer

and Pine Sawyers are good examples of this type. But there are others. Oh yes, there are others. Clearwing Borers (Sesiidae,) such as the Ash Lilac Borer (left) aren’t even beetles, they’re members of the order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths), in this case, Moths. Are you ready for the fun part? Clearwing borers aren’t affected by the same active ingredient generally used to take care of lepidopterans, or Flat- and Roundheaded borers because Clearwing Borers tend to hang out in the parts of plants that systemic treatments don’t reach! Aren’t borers great? Wait, there’s more! We’re back in the beetle family with Weevils (Curculionidae), such as the Wood Boring Weevil, and Bark Beetles (Scolytidae), like the Mountain Pine Bark Beetle, which also contain species that bore through the vascular tissues of trees as larvae. So, we’re essentially looking at five separate taxonomic families (quick review: living things are classified at seven levels- Broadest to narrowest: Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species. Example for Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis): Kingdom Animalia (animals), Phylum Arthropoda (arthropods), Class Insecta (insects), Order Coleoptera (Beetles), Family Buprestidae (Metallic Wood Boring Beetles), Genus Agrilus (Jewel Beetles), Species planipennis (Emerald Ash Borer). We tend to work in the family range of taxonomy in Plant Healthcare when dealing with insects). Just for an idea of how large these families are, these five families contain roughly 82,000 species of insects spread across the world. Not all of those are economically important as pests of trees- but the ones that are, are incredibly important. For the purposes of this article, we’re going to focus on those most impactful on shade trees of the urban landscape, which puts us squarely on the Flatheaded and Round Headed boring insects, our friends in Buprestidae and Cerambydicae (we use the term “friend” pretty loosely at the Tree Geek).

Flat Headed Borers have been getting the most press lately. We have many native species of Flatheaded Borers that are significant pests, such as the Bronze Birch Borer- which can have major impact on nonnative birch species- and the Two Lined Chestnut Borer- which is a major pest of Red and White Oak species. The big concern in many states right now, however, is the Emerald Ash Borer. This is decidedly not native. It came from China, and is found around the same latitude as Minnesota (sidebar- this is likely bad news for the folks hoping our cold winter killed off a significant portion of the population in the northern states). They key

Flatheaded Borer Larvae

Roundheaded Borer Larvae

distinguishing factor for these borers is right there in the name. Their larvae have a shovel shaped, very flat head (above left), in contrast to the round shape of a Roundheaded Borer (above right). The adults look very different as well. Adult Flatheaded Borers tend to be smaller (Emerald Ash Borer could line up three bugs side by side on a penny), and have a metallic sheen to them. Round Headed Borers are usually a bit larger and look more like a traditional beetle. They are often called the Longhorned Beetles because of their long antennae, shown here on the Asian Longhorned Beetle (below right). The other key factor in determining which type of borer is attacking a tree is the type of exit holes you see

Asian Longhorned Beelte, A Roundheaded Borer Adult

on the bark of the tree. Because of their

Flatheaded Borer Exit Hole

flat head shape, Flatheaded Borers will leave a distinctive “D” shaped exit hole when the adults emerge from the tree (below left). Roundheaded Borers will leave a round exit hole as the adults emerge. So, there you have it: Borers. There are a ton of them, and they can be major tree pests. Many of them, though, are relatively easy to treat yourself, and The Tree Geek has plenty of options to help you out. For more information on specific pests, check out our pages dealing with Emerald Ash Borer, and Bronze Birch Borer, or give us a call! We’re more than happy to walk you through your tree issue and explain the how and why of what you can do about it!

]]>https://www.thetreegeek.com/news/featured/borers/feed/4#LarchMadness!https://www.thetreegeek.com/news/larch-madness/
https://www.thetreegeek.com/news/larch-madness/#respondThu, 13 Mar 2014 15:43:09 +0000http://www.thetreegeek.com/?p=16410More...]]>Basketball fans know March means it’s time to fill out your bracket. Well, tree fans, here’s a chance to vote on your favorite tree to help us fill out our “Larch Madness” bracket! We’ve sorted and seeded (ha) 64 different tree species- predominantly North American, but with a few other tossed in just for fun! We’ll be hosting the vote over on our Facebook page, so head over to https://www.facebook.com/TheTreeGeek to like the Tree Geek and get ready for the Madness!
]]>https://www.thetreegeek.com/news/larch-madness/feed/0Winter Tree IDhttps://www.thetreegeek.com/news/featured/winter-tree-id/
https://www.thetreegeek.com/news/featured/winter-tree-id/#respondFri, 20 Dec 2013 19:57:53 +0000http://www.thetreegeek.com/?p=16346More...]]>
Identifying deciduous trees in the winter can be challenging (unless you live in a climate where trees don’t have a need to shed their leaves, in which case you don’t really have a winter. Or if you’re looking at an evergreen)- during the growing season many people rely partially on features of the tree that are no longer readily visible when the tree is dormant. But with a little bit of practice, winter ID of trees can actually be a more reliable way to discern between species that are closely related: using leaf shape alone can lead to misidentification as leaves have a certain level of phenotypic plasticity (that is, leaves don’t always look typical).

More practically, it’s handy to be able to ID a tree in the winter for planning purposes! What tree is that in the corner of the yard? If you can’t remember off the top of your head, you can either wait ‘til leaf out to see what kind of leaves sprout, or you can ID using the bark and the twigs!

The things you’ll need in order to accomplish the ID are a section of twig from out at the tip, and a look at the bark of the tree. Until you’ve got a ton of practice, it might also help to have an ID key. The Peterson Field Guide to Trees and Shrubs has a handy winter silhouette guide in the front section, and I regularly use the “Deciduous Trees of Minnesota: a Winter Key” when stumped (tree pun!), put together by Thomas Morely from the University of Minnesota Botany Department circa 1975. Is it new? No. Does it need to be? Also no.

So let’s get started! I chose a tree outside of the Tree Geek HQ (the tree specifically is a Green Ash. I knew this going in, so it’s kind of like cheating- but this is science, so we’ll actually call it a control). To begin with, lets look at the bark. It’s a medium furrowed bark, with a grayer color towards the root flair- fairly typical of a Fraxinus pennsylvanica– but dark furrowed bark is also found on a lot of other trees. We’re going to have to dig deeper.When ID-ing a tree mid winter, the most important features are out at the tip of the twigs. Make sure you find a good sample with a representative terminal bud (the set of buds growing at the very tip of a twig) and axillary buds (any buds growing below that).This is a pretty good representation of a Green Ash twig. You can see that the twig has a terminal bud that is actually composed of three buds. Also notice that the axillary buds are growing in an “opposite” habit, meaning that the leaves of an Ash tree will grow on the opposite side of the branch from each other, rather than an “alternate” pattern- some examples of trees with alternate axillary buds include Locusts, and Oaks. Botanists call these leaf growth patterns phyllotaxis– the greek for “leaf” and “arrangement”. Another important aspect of the buds is the scale pattern. Ours appears to be rough- which is in line with the genus Fraxinus (these things are tiny but still fairly observable). The next thing you’ll want to look at the bundle scar underneath the axillary buds (or where an axillary bud used to be):Bundle scars are the exposed veins where the tree used to draw energy produced by the chlorophyll in the leaves, and they should be relatively easy to spot. On this Ash, looking at it in person it’s pretty apparent that there is only one visible scar- very typical of Ash species, and it will likely be crescent or dot shaped1.

So at this point we’ve figured out that we’re looking at an Ash Tree, and getting it down to species is a little bit more challenging. You might even need to take some measurements. According to Thomas Morely’s Winter Key, a main difference between White Ashes (F. americana) and the other Ash Trees in our range (Minnesota for the Tree Geeks HQ) is that the crescent shaped bundle scar is 1up to 1.5 mm deep in F. Americana versus .8mm deep in F. pennsylvanica and F. nigra. We’ve got a relatively flat crescent. That means we’ve got the latter.

Alright. We now know we’re looking at either a Black or Green Ash. To recap, the axillary buds are growing in an opposite pattern, there is but one apparent bundle scar, and the bundle scar is a relatively shallow crescent shape. Time to go back to the bark! Our tree is relatively grayish, with darkening bark towards the base:

Classic Green Ash. Green Ash trees also tend to grow in relatively well drained areas. Black Ashes tend to grow in damper, less well drained areas. This tree is on a rise between two parking lots outside our offices, nothing wet about it (except the snow, which is technically water). So there you have it- Green Ash.

Not all trees are that easy, and some trees will be really hard to identify unless you have the capability to take the a sample somewhere and dissect it- most people don’t want to cut tiny twigs in half in the frozen north, anyway. Another key feature for twig identification is known as the “pith”:

It’s that center part of the twig in white. Some trees have a solid pith, and some have what’s known as a chambered pith, where there are hollow areas (chambers!) between the spongy tissue inside. Walnuts are a common species with a chambered pith, if you’re dying to cut some trees open. Another feature you might have to use is the lenticels, or pores, on the twig- they appear as little white bumps shown below. The relative distance between buds and new versus old growth is also a good indicator of which species you may be looking at within a genus. It can get sort of complicated, but practice makes perfect!

So go out and practice, if you don’t have Green Ash in your area, keep your eyes peeled. We’re going to be running a series of a winter ID guides as the season progresses. Give us a shout with any questions you might have, either in the comments section or on our Tree Geek Hotline! We’d also love to hear if you have any suggestions for trees you’d like more information about identifying once the leaves have dropped! Thanks, fellow Tree Geeks!

1.Morely, Thomas. “Deciduous Trees of Minnesota: A Winter Key”. Department of Botany, University of Minnesota. St. Paul, Minnesota. 1975

]]>https://www.thetreegeek.com/news/featured/winter-tree-id/feed/0The leaves are falling…what’s your tree been hiding?https://www.thetreegeek.com/news/the-leaves-are-fallingwhats-your-tree-been-hiding/
https://www.thetreegeek.com/news/the-leaves-are-fallingwhats-your-tree-been-hiding/#respondMon, 09 Dec 2013 17:26:56 +0000http://www.thetreegeek.com/?p=16307More...]]>It’s the holiday season, and the leaves are falling (…or they’ve fallen completely, as is the case at Tree Geeks Headquarters here in Minnesota). Now that the bark on your trees is more visible, it’s an ideal time to discover what your trees may have been hiding all summer.

The next time you’re outside – grabbing the mail, shoveling snow, enjoying your neighbor’s National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation-esque foray into holiday lighting – take a moment to look up and scan your trees for the following:

Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) signs: Examples include woodpecker damage; small, d-shaped exit holes; and epicormic branching (bushy branching near the base of the tree). It is possible to prevent EAB infestation of your trees, but treatment may not be an option once an infestation is too severe. Learn more about Emerald Ash Borer prevention.

Bronze Birch Borer (BBB) attacks: This wood boring beetle attacks birch trees that are stressed by drought, compacted soil, or other insects. Signs include tunnels visible under the tree bark and d-shaped exit holes. Learn more about BBB.

Scales: As foliage falls almost all scales are more visible. Both hard and soft scales infest a wide range of tree species throughout the United States. Heavy infestations of some types of scales can kill weakened trees. Signs of scale infestation include small bumps on twigs and stems, and sooty mold growing on honeydew (the sticky, sugary liquid excrement of sucking insects) on or around the tree.

For those folks in more temperate climates, trunk injection for prevention of these pests may still be an option. For those homeowners already heading into the winter chill, preventive options may be available in the spring (so be sure to mark a DIY treatment or arborist visit on your 2014 calendar!)

]]>https://www.thetreegeek.com/news/geeky-gift-guide-2013/feed/0Prevent Spring Pests with Fall Treatmentshttps://www.thetreegeek.com/news/prevent-spring-pests-with-fall-treatments-2/
https://www.thetreegeek.com/news/prevent-spring-pests-with-fall-treatments-2/#respondTue, 24 Sep 2013 20:37:12 +0000http://www.thetreegeek.com/?p=16272More...]]>Although most insects emerge in the spring, fall is a great time to apply systemic insecticides to prevent infestations next year. If you experienced a pest problem this past spring or summer, proactive fall treatments will help you keep persistent spring insects at bay.

How is it even possible for insecticides to stick around through the winter and still protect your tree next spring? Xytect is armed with an active ingredient that binds tightly to soil organic matter, stays in the soil without degrading, and is water soluble enough that a tree can take it up once the ground thaws in the spring.

Early spring feeding insects that are best managed by fall Xytect applications include: